Detachable potato and vegetable elevator.



No. 890,548. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908. u A. W. WOLF. E

DETAGHABLE POTATO AND VEGETABLE ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION nun 29 JUNE 1907 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ATTORNEYS THE NORRIS PETERS co, wAsnmarom c.

PATENTED JUNE 9 A. W. WOLF. DETAGHABLE POTATO AND VEGETABLE ELEVATOR.

APPLIOATION IILED JUNE 29, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

r a M,

WITNESSES W CZO A TTOHNEYS' 1'14: NORRIS Parsns co-. wxsnma1om-m c.

No. 890,548. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908. APW. WOLF. DETAOHABLE POTATO ANDVEGETABLE ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZQ, 1907.

'3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ATTORNEYS THE NORRIS PETERS cm. wAsl-ymcmu, 0. c.

ARTHUR W. WOLF,

OF HAMPTON, IOWA.

DETACHABLE POTATO AND VEGETABLE ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

Application filed June 29, 1907. Serial No. 381,520.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR 1V. l/VoLF, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Hampton, in the county of Franklin and State of Iowa,have invented a newand useful Improvement in Detachable Potato andVegetable Elevators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a very simple, durable, andeconomic form of elevator, especially adapted for use in connection withany form of potato digger, but particularly what is known as the Dowdenpotato digger,. and to so construct the de vice that the potatoes orother vegetables are taken directly from the digger and elevated in amanner to deliver them into a wagon or other conveyance drawn orpropelled beside the digger and kept beneath the'upper end of theelevator.

It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a wheel supportedelevator of the type described, that is readily detachable from andwhich is independent of the digger, and also to provide a draftconnection between the elevator supporting frame and the digger, whichconnection is simple, readily applied and disconnected, and which willinsure the elevator structure properly tracking the digger under allconditions of usage.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming apart ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is aplan view of the elevator, parts being broken away, thedigger being diagrammatically shown in dotted lines and likewise thereceptacle into which the vegetables are to be dumped; Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the elevator and the attached potato digger; Fig. 3 is arear elevation of the elevator; Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation of thedriving mechanism for the elevator, drawn upon a larger scale Fig. 5 isa transverse section through the upper portion of the elevator, alsodrawn upon a larger scale; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one of theupper sprocket wheels for the link conveyer employed and Fig. 7 is anenlarged plan view of a portion of the link conveyer.

A represents a potato digger of any approved type, that shown beingprovided with an arched forward axle 10 carrying small forward wheels 11and attached to a tongue 12, the said axle being made to sup port a body13, and this body 13 is provided with rear larger supporting wheels 14,and

the body is also provided with a lever 15 of v any approved type forraising and lowering the digging end of the body. A conveyer, usually achain conveyer 16, is located within the body, extending from its frontto its rear, and this conveyer receives the potatoes or other vegetablesas they are dug, and carries them to the rear portion of the body anddelivers them to an elevator to be hereinafter described. The drivingmechanism for this conveyer 16 as shown, consists of a gear 17 carriedby the right-hand rear wheel 14, that meshes with a pinion 18 mounted uon the righthand side of the body 13, sai pinion 18 having an attachedsprocket wheel 19 over which a driving belt 20 is passed, the said beltbeing likewise passed over a sprocket pinion 21 on the rear supportingshaft for the conveyer 16.

A represents the drivers seat, which is supported by means of; asuitable standard 22.

The frame B of the elevator is best shown in Fig. 1. It consists ofparallel side sills 23 and 23*, the left-hand side sill 23 extendingfurther forward than does the right-hand side sill 23 so as to provideample space in front of the latter side sill to receive the right-handrear supporting wheel of the digger. The side sills 23 and 23 areconnected at their rear by across bar 24: and are also connected by anintermediate cross bar 25, and forward of this intermediate cross bar25, an axle 26 for the frame is mounted in suitable bearings 27 carriedby the side sills 23 and 23 The axle 26 is provided with supportingwheels 28 loosely mounted thereon and located outside of the main frameB of the elevator. These wheels 28 have the customary ratchet connectionwith the axle 26, so that as the machine is drawn forward the ratchetconnection between the wheels and the axle 26 will act to turn the axle,but when the machine is moved rearward the su porting wheels 28 turnloosely on said axe and the axle remains still. The main frame B is alsosupported by caster wheels 29, located at the rear ends of the sidesills bars 32 are connected by parallel longitudinal bars 33. Theleft-hand end of the axle 26 extends over the said extension frame B andis j ournaled in suitable bearings 34 carried by the extension frame, asis best shown in Fig. 1. A bevel gear 35 is secured to the axle 26between the longitudinal bars 33 of r the extension frame, and thisbevel gear 35 meshes with a bevel pinion 36 located on the forward endof a shaft 37 that extends longitudin ally in direction of the rear ofthe said extension frame, being journaled in suitable bearings 38, as isshown in Figs. 1 and 4, and as particularly shown in Fig. 4, a sprocketwheel 39 is secured to the rear end of short line shaft 37.

The elevator C is located between the intermediate connecting bar 25 ofthe main frame and the axle 26, and is given an inclination from theright-hand side of the said main frame upward and beyond the left-handside of the said frame, as is especially shown in Fig. 3. The bodyportion of this elevator consists of parallel beams 40 of suitablethickness, to which side boards may be added if the body of the elevatoris to be quite deep, and these side beams 40 of the elevator areconnected at their-lower ends by a late 41 that is attached to the upperface 0 the right-hand side sill 23 of the main frame, extending downbelow said sill, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the upper edge ofthe elevator at its lower end is below the lane of the bottom of thesaid sill 23 to which it is attached, and the said side beams or timbers40 for the elevator C are connected and braced at their upper ends by anarched brace bar 42.

A sprocket wheel 43 is suitably mounted in the lower end portion of theelevator body, and at the upper end portion thereof a shaft 44 ismounted to turn in suitable bushings 45 inserted in the side timbers ofthe elevator, as is shown in Fig. 5, and the rear end of the shaft 44extends beyond the rear side of the body of the elevator. Between theside timbers of the elevator body two sprocket wheels 46 are secured tothe shaft 44, and these sprocket wheels are of much greater diameter,preferably of twice the diameter, of the lower sprocket wheel 43, andanother and smaller sprocket wheel 47 is secured to the rear end of theshaft 44, carrying an ordinary chain belt 48, which belt is likewisevolved when the axle 26 is turned.

passed over the sprocket wheel 39 carried by the line shaft 37, so thatthe shaft 44 and sprocket wheels 46 carried thereby are rke- T e body ofthe elevator is supported about centrally between its ends by posts 49,that extend up from the left-hand side sill 23 of the main supportingframe B for the elevator, and braces 50 are secured to the outer sidefaces of the side timbers 40 of the body of the elevator, and thesebraces 50 are carried downward and have bearing on and are attached tothe left-hand side portion of the extension frame B, as is best shown inFig. 3. A guide 51 is provided for the upper stretch of the driving belt48, and this guide 51, as is shown in Fig. 3, is supported by brackets52. Other braces 53 likewise extend from the outer faces of the timbers40 for the elevator down to the left-hand side sills of the mainsupporting frame B, while other metal braces 54 extend from the posts 49down to the rear portion of the said main supporting frame B, as isshown in Figs. 1 and 3.. Guide rollers 55 are journaled in pairs to theinner faces of the timbers 40 of the body of the elevator, as is shownin Fig. 1, and other guide rollers 56 also in pairs are located belowthe rollers 55, extending also below the bottom edges of the saidtimbers 40, as is shown in Fig. 3, being held in position by brackets 57of any approved type.

The rollers 55 support the upper stretch of a link conveyer D, while therollers 56 support the lower stretch of the said link conveyer, as isshown in Figs. 1 and 3. This link conveyer passes over the main sprocketwheel 43 of the elevator and over the upper sprocket wheel 46, as isshown in Figs. 1 and 5. The links of the conveyer D are of peculiarconstruction, as is best shown in Fig. 7, wherein it will be observedthat each link is of substantially U-shape, being of sufficient lengthto extend nearly from one timber 40 of the elevator body or frame, tothe other, and in forming a link, a bow member 58 is provided and endmembers 59, which are inclined at their free ends more or less indirection of each other, and each end member 59 terminates in a hook 60,and the hooks of one link receive the bow member of the next link, andas the chain moves the bow members 58 of the links are those that enterthe spaces between the teeth of the carrying sprockets 43 and 46 for theconveyer.

.The attachment between the elevator and the digger A is very quicklymade.

end of the right-hand side sill 23 of the elevator supporting frame B,the said arm 61 being at right angles to the said sill, and a similararm 62 is made to extend from the forward portion of the left-hand sill23 in the same direction as does the arm 61 ,the said An arm 61 is madeto extend out from the forward arms 61 and 62 being practically draftarms, and the arm 62 is strengthened by braces 63 and 64. One end of adraft chain 65 is at tached to the outer end of the righthand arm 61,and the opposite end of the chain is attached to the left-hand draft arm62, and the forward portion of the chain is passed, as is shown in Fig.2 and indicated in Fig. 1, around the front of the forward axle 10 ofthe digger, and is connected by a hook, or equivalent means, to the rearend of the tongue 12.

In operation, the vegetables as they are dug, are received on theconveyer 16 of the digger, and the said conveyer deposits saidvegetables on the conveyer D of the elevator at the lower portion of thelatter. The vegetables are then carried up by the link conveyer D and byreason of the peculiar construction of this conveyer, the dirt is wellsifted from the vegetables by the time they reach the upper end of theconveyer, from whence they fall into a wagon E, or other suitablereceptacle drawn along or propelled at the left-hand side of theelevator beneath its upper end. The peculiar connection between theelevator and the digger enables an attachment between the two machinesto be quickly and readily made, and also enables them to be as quicklyand as readily separated, and furthermore, the said connection enableseach of the two machines to be per- 1 fectly free in their motions, yetthe elevator will always track the digger. The elevator in its entiretyis very simple, economic, and is also exceedingly strong. The lower endportion of the elevator is usually supported by braces 66 attached tothe timbers 40 and to the shorter sill 23 of the supporting frame.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent,

1. In an elevator for potatoes and other vegetables, a wheel supportedbase frame having an extension at one side, parallel timbers extendingfrom one side of the base frame upward over and beyond the extension atthe opposite side of the said frame, sprocket wheels mounted between thesaid timbers at the top and bottom portions thereof, a conveyer carriedby the sprocket wheels, means for driving the supporting sprockets ofthe conveyer from the axle of the base frame, and a draft device at theforward end of the base frame.

2. In an elevating device for vegetables and the like, a wheel supportedbase frame having an open forward end and having one side sill extendingfurther forward than the other, a draft device connected with theforward end portions of the side sills of the base frame, an elevatorframe extending from a point below one side sill of the base frameupward and beyond the opposite side sill, a

conveyer carried by the elevator frame, supporting sprocket wheels forthe conveyer mounted in the elevator frame, and means for driving thesupporting sprocket wheels by the forward movement of the wheelsupported base frame.

3. In an elevating device for vegetables and the like, a base framehaving an extension at one side, an axle in the base frame and extendingover the extension, wheels on the axle, an elevator frame extending froma point below one side of the frame upward and beyond the extension atthe opposite side of said frame, a conveyer carried by the elevatorframe, a shaft mounted in the extension of the base frame and gearedwith the axle, and means for operating the conveyer from said shaft.

4. In an elevating device for vegetables, and the like, a wheelsupported base frame, open at its forward end and having one side stillextending further forward than the other, a draft arm extending at anangle outward from the forward end of the shorter side sill, acorresponding arm extending in the same direction and at the same anglefrom the forward portion of the longer side sill, a draft chain, theends whereof are connected with the said arms, an elevator frame thatextends from a point below the short side sill, upward and beyond thelonger side sill, a conveyer for the elevator frame, and means drivenfrom the axle of the base frame for driving the said conveyer.

5. In an elevating device for vegetables and the like, a base frame openat its forward end and having an extension at one side, an axlejournaled in the base frame and extending over the extension thereof,supporting wheels carried by the axle, caster wheels located at the rearend of the said base frame, an elevator frame extending from a pointbelow the one side of the frame upward and beyond the extension at theother side of said frame, sprocket wheels mounted in the said elevatorframe, an endless belt passed over the said sprocket wheels, thesprocket wheels being at the to) and at the bottom of the conveyer, asha t for the said upper sprocket wheels, a longitudinal shaft mountedin the extension of the base frame and geared with the said axle, and abelt driven from said shaft, which belt is in driving connection withthe shaft for the upper sprocket wheels.

6. The combination with a digging machine, of an elevator, the baseframe whereof is wheel su ported, one side sill of said frame extendingfurther forward than the other, an arm 'extendim out at right anglesfrom the shorter end of the side sill, a corresponding arm extending inthe same direction and at the same an le from the outer end portion ofthe longer si 1, and a draft chain attached at its ends to the endportions of the said arm, which draft chain passes around and isconnected with a forward portion of the digger, whereby the elevator andthe digger are In testimony whereof I have signed my name to thisspecification in the presence of 10 two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR W. WOLF.

Witnesses:

J NO. M. HEMINGWAY, D. O. WOLF.

